• Justice Minister instructs not to gazette bill till the election is over

By Kelum Bandara  

In the midst of controversy over the proposed constitutional amendment with some interpreting it as an attempt for postponement of the Presidential election, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe instructed his officials not to proceed with steps for enactment of it till the election is over.  

The Cabinet approved a proposal earlier for the incorporation of a new provision into the Constitution to be enacted as 22nd Amendment. It seeks to correct an error in the Constitution which says a referendum should be conducted in case of the extension of the term of the President beyond six years whereas the term is restricted to five years in the same Constitution and affirmed by the Supreme Court.   The proposed amendment seeks to correct this error. Once the Cabinet approved the proposal, it was interpreted as an attempt by the government to postpone the Presidential election in the guise of amending the Constitution. Also, speculation is rife in social media that the government has threatened to dissolve Parliament in case it is unable to secure two-thirds for the enactment of it in the House.  

 Asked about the latest status, Minister Rajapakshe told Daily Mirror that he instructed his officials not to gazette the bill till the Presidential election is over. He said President Ranil Wickremesinghe presented the Cabinet paper prepared in consultation with the Attorney General and others concerned to correct an error in the Constitution but it led to confusion after some people started interpreting it in different ways through the media.  

“I asked my officials not to gazette the bill till the election is over,” he said.  

In the enactment of any piece of legislation, it has to be gazetted first after Cabinet approval. After that, it is presented in Parliament for first reading.  

Then, the interested parties can move the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of the bill.